A horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team sent shockwaves through the NHL on Saturday.

The crash killed at least 15 people, including the Broncos' coach and team captain. The team comprises 16- to 20-year-olds and was headed to a playoff game in Saskatchewan when a semi-truck slammed into its bus.

For a handful of teams, it took the full 82 games to lock down a playoff spot, but the field is set for the 2018 NHL playoffs.

Any of these 16 teams could be in contention for the Stanley Cup come June, but only one team will win it all. So, what will send the other 15 to the golf course this summer without the sport's ultimate prize?

Sean Couturier had a goal and two assists, Brian Elliott stopped 34 shots and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Friday night to even the first-round Eastern Conference series at a game apiece.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without center Evgeni Malkin and forward Carl Hagelin when the winners of the past two Stanley Cups open their Eastern Conference semifinal series Thursday night in Washington.

Tuukka Rask tossed a broken skate blade up the ice in frustration, but hardly lost his cool.

"I didn't throw it at anybody," the Boston goaltender said Saturday. "If I threw it at somebody, I'd like to apologize, but I didn't. I just wanted to make sure that everybody saw that my blade was off."

William Karlsson and the expansion Vegas Golden Knights proved they can handle some adversity just as well as they can thrive as front-runners like they did most of their inaugural season.

The Golden Knights bounced back after allowing a late tying goal in regulation when Karlsson scored 8:17 into overtime to lead Vegas to a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Monday night and a 2-1 series lead.

Between the birth of his first child in Tampa Bay and Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Boston, Yanni Gourde squeezed in what could be his last nap for a while.

The Lightning forward spent the night with his wife and newborn daughter in the hospital on the off-day and flew to Boston on Wednesday. He missed the morning skate, but was waiting for his teammates at lunch.

Jakub Vrana came to the rink expecting to play on the Capitals' third line again. He left as a top-liner on top of the world.

Vrana made the most of his promotion to the top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, setting up the tying goal and scoring the Game 5 winner as Washington beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 Saturday night to take a 3-2 lead in the second-round series and put the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions on the brink of elimination.

Capitals end Penguins' championship run, years of heartbreak. Is it their time?

In a season in which the Washington Capitals were expected to take a half-step backward, they instead have taken a major leap forward.

The Capitals, playing without injured center Nicklas Backstrom, downed the nemesis Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in overtime on Evgeny Kuznetsov's breakaway goal to reach the Eastern Conference final for the first time in the Alex Ovechkin era. They will face the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Evgeny Kuznetsov smiled about getting four assists. He tried not to smile too much at the thought of being one win away from the Stanley Cup.

With Kuznetsov and goaltender Braden Holtby leading the way, the Washington Capitals are on the verge of capturing the first title in their 43rd season after routing the Vegas Golden Knights 6-2 on Monday night to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Chaos reigns as game clock breaks in final minutes of Stanley Cup Final

The NHL somehow found a way to make games in the Stanley Cup Final even more stressful.

The Washington Capitals triumphed in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final to win the first championship of their 44-year history. It was a thrilling game bound to be replayed in Washington for generations, but there was only confusion for a solid chunk of the final two minutes in the series.